The human ear canal is essentially divided into two parts. An elastic cartilage section forms the outer third of the canal, it's anterior and lower wall are cartilaginous, whereas the inner and back wall are fibrous. The cartilage comprises a cartilage framework known as the pinna. The bony part forms the inner two thirds. The bony part is much shorter in children and is only a ring known as the annulus tympanicus. The size and shape of the ear canal varies among individuals and is approximately 2.5 centimeters (1 in) long and 0.7 centimeters (0.28 in) in diameter in most people. It has a circular or sigmoidol form and runs from behind the aural opening and then downward and forward. Cross-sectionally, it possesses an oval shape.
Ear wax, (cerumen) is a yellowish, waxy substance secreted in the ear canals. It plays an important role in humans as it assists in cleaning detritus from inside the ear while its' residue provides a lubrication function and provides some protection from bacteria, fungi, and insects. The presence of a surface coating or residue of wax on the surface of the ear canal is necessary to continue protecting the sensitive middle ear from insects, dirt and microbial infection. Whereas the accumulation of too much ear wax over time due to its' continual secretion by the glands discussed above is detrimental to ones' hearing, cleaning the canal by washing out the ear wax with a solution is uncomfortable and can actually remove too much wax leaving the middle ear vulnerable to the dangerous elements (dirt, microbes, etc.) discussed earlier.
Nevertheless, the continual excretion of cerumen without its' removal somehow can result in an accumulation thereof and if the more liquid form of cereum hardens and becomes excess or impacted the cerumen wax build-up can press against the eardrum and/or occlude the external auditory canal and impair hearing, causing conductive hearing loss. One of the beneficial aspects of ear wax, produced by the glands in the ear canal can oftentimes accumulate and will trap dust and other small dirt particles and prevent them from reaching, and potentially damaging or infecting the eardrum. Normally, the wax dries up and falls out of the ear, along with any trapped dust or debris. Everyone makes ear wax, but the amount and type are genetically determined just like hair color or height. Smaller or oddly shaped ear canals may make it difficult for the naturally occurring wax to get out of the canal and lead to wax impactions.
Blockage of the ear canal, also known as ear impaction, also occurs when the wax gets pushed deep within the ear canal. Ear wax blockage affects about 6% of people and is one of the most common ear problems doctors encounter The most common cause of impactions is the use of Q-tips (and other objects such as bobby pins and rolled napkin corners), which can remove some superficial wax on the outer ear canal but this may also push the rest of the wax deeper into the ear canal. Hearing aid and earplug users are also more prone to ear wax blockage. Symptoms of an ear wax impaction include decreased hearing, dizziness, ear pain, a plugged up head or fullness sensation, and tinnitus or ringing in the ear.
Over-the-counter wax softening drops such as Debrox® or Murine® may be used to clean the outer ear, but these again must be put into put into an affected ear, and then allowed to drain out after about five minutes while holding the head to the side, allowing the drops to settle. A bulb-type syringe may be used to gently flush the ear with warm water. There are several methods of removing excess cerumen. A common method is to syringe the ear canal with warm water and then flushing the cerumen out with the water. Various solutions of oils, peroxide, glycerine or detergents are also used to flush the ear canal. Cotton swabs are also commonly used, but not recommended as they generally only remove a small amount of wax and push the rest further into the ear canal.
Physically picking or scraping the ear wax out with an ear pick or curette is yet another method of removing ear wax usually performed by a health professional under direct observation with magnification. A less common method is ear candling which is the practice of lighting a specially made hollow ear candle and placing the unlit end in the patient's ear. It is claimed to create a slight vacuum that draws out debris and wax. There are some complications or risks associated with these various types of ear wax removal such as damage to the ear drum from excess pressure or physically perforating the ear drum.
A key limitation in the removal of ear wax or cerumen is the inability to directly observe the ear canal. A device called an otoscope provides a way to see into the ear canal. The otoscope has a handle and a head with a light source and a magnifying lens with a removable ear speculum that attaches to the front. The speculum is inserted into the external ear canal allowing the physician or examiner to look through the lens into the ear canal. Many models have a detachable sliding rear window allowing instruments to be inserted through the speculum into the ear canal that could be used for removing ear wax. The otoscope can only be used to observe the ear canal before or after flushing, but not during actual ear wax removal as a result the physician must repeatedly stop flushing to observe the progress being made.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,276 to Lay discloses the use of a cotton swab for cleaning the auditory canal and the cotton swab is removed and discarded from the ear cleaning device which is intended to be reused. The consumer is expected to wrap and secure a cotton swab around the spiral hatch pattern on the one end of the handle portion of the ear wax remover. An extraction head on this ear wax remover comprises three similarly shaped projections extending radially outward from a shank. Each projection has the shape of a frustum of a cone. That is, the extraction head comprises three frustum cone shapes portions on the tip of the device. Thus, the ear wax remover tool is to be used over and over again with subsequent swab attachments after each usage.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,074,230 to Olson discloses a disposable ear cleaning device comprising: one piece plastic body; a handle on the plastic body to be grasped and to be rotated; an integral scoop for removing ear wax on the plastic body at one end of the handle; the scoop having a bowl portion; upper edges on the bowl portion for scraping and collecting wax and for depositing the wax within the bowl portion; an outer smooth lower bowl surface on the bowl and a hollow interior in the bowl portion for collecting the wax in the bowl portion and for carrying ear wax deposited therein from the ear; an upper front outer edge of the bowl being at a lower height than an upper rear edge of the bowl; and a swab of bulbous shape at the other end of the handle for additional cleaning of the ear. The flexible neck portion is provided between the handle and the scoop to bend during use of the device and a cotton swab on an end of the handle opposite the bowl portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,658,745 also to Olson teaches a similar disposable ear cleaning device having a one-piece, plastic body with an integral scoop at one end having a bowl portion having a smooth lower surface on the bowl. Openings may be formed in the bottom of the bowl for scraping wax and debris from the ear. The preferred openings are parallel slots. The preferred bowl has rounded, upper edges at the rim for scraping ear wax with the front, distal end at a lower height than a rear end of the bowl which is joined to a handle. The preferred handle may be fluted for gripping and turning the bowl when scraping ear wax. A flexible neck may join the bowl to the handle. A bulbous end of plastic or of cotton may be provided at the end of the device opposite the bowl. The referred cleaning device weighs less than one gram and is inexpensive.